Overcoming carrier aggregation signaling overhead when FirstNet QoS policies are enforced

1. A device, comprising:

a processing system for a radio access network node, the processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

initiating emergency quality of service (QoS) measures in a radio access network (RAN) cell responsive to detecting an emergency condition applicable to the RAN cell;

identifying, among a plurality of wireless communication devices served by the RAN cell, a set of non-emergency devices;

identifying, among the set of non-emergency devices, one or more carrier aggregation (CA)-prone devices; and

applying an updated buffer threshold value for a CA-prone device among the one or more CA-prone devices, to reduce a likelihood of initiation of carrier aggregation for the CA-prone device.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise identifying the set of non-emergency devices based on QoS class indices of the set of non-emergency devices.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more CA-prone devices comprise devices with respect to which the emergency QoS measures are likely to result in initiation of carrier aggregation procedures.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying a set of CA-capable devices from among the set of non-emergency devices; and

identifying the one or more CA-prone devices from among the set of CA-capable devices.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise selecting the updated buffer threshold value based on a type of traffic being conveyed to the CA-prone device.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise selecting the updated buffer threshold value based on a burstiness associated with traffic being conveyed to the CA-prone device.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a respective buffer threshold time for each of the one or more CA-prone devices; and

selecting the CA-prone device from among the one or more CA-prone devices based on the respective buffer threshold time for the CA-prone device.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise determining the respective buffer threshold time for each of the one or more CA-prone devices based on a respective data throughput estimate for each of the one or more CA-prone devices.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring respective traffic patterns of each of the set of non-emergency devices to obtain traffic monitoring data; and

determining the respective data throughput estimate for each of the one or more CA-prone devices based on respective traffic monitoring data for each of the one or more CA-prone devices, according to a queuing model.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise determining the respective buffer threshold time for each of the one or more CA-prone devices based on a respective data throughput variability for each of the one or more CA-prone devices.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the RAN cell comprises a cell of a next generation RAN (NG-RAN).

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the radio access network node comprises a next generation node B (gNB).

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system for a radio access network node, the processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

initiating emergency quality of service (QoS) measures in a radio access network (RAN) cell responsive to detecting an emergency condition applicable to the RAN cell;

identifying, among a plurality of wireless communication devices served by the RAN cell, a set of non-emergency devices;

identifying, among the set of non-emergency devices, a set of carrier aggregation (CA)-capable devices;

identifying, among the set of CA-capable devices, one or more carrier aggregation (CA)-prone devices; and

applying an updated buffer threshold value for a CA-prone device among the one or more CA-prone devices, to reduce a likelihood of initiation of carrier aggregation for the CA-prone device.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise identifying the set of non-emergency devices based on QoS class indices of the set of non-emergency devices.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise selecting the updated buffer threshold value based on a type of traffic being conveyed to the CA-prone device.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise selecting the updated buffer threshold value based on a burstiness associated with traffic being conveyed to the CA-prone device.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the radio access network node comprises a next generation node B (gNB).

18. A method, comprising:

initiating, by a processing system for a radio access network node, the processing system including a processor, emergency quality of service (QoS) measures in a radio access network (RAN) cell responsive to detecting an emergency condition applicable to the RAN cell;

identifying, by the processing system, among a plurality of wireless communication devices served by the RAN cell, a set of non-emergency devices;

identifying, by the processing system, among the set of non-emergency devices, a set of carrier aggregation (CA)-capable devices;

identifying, by the processing system, one or more carrier aggregation (CA)-prone devices among the set of CA-capable devices;

selecting, by the processing system, an updated buffer threshold value for a CA-prone device among the one or more CA-prone devices based on one or both of a type of traffic being conveyed to the CA-prone device and a burstiness associated with traffic being conveyed to the CA-prone device; and

applying, by the processing system, the updated buffer threshold value to reduce a likelihood of initiation of carrier aggregation for the CA-prone device.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

monitoring, by the processing system, respective traffic patterns of each of the set of non-emergency devices to obtain traffic monitoring data;

determining, by the processing system, a respective data throughput estimate for each of the one or more CA-prone devices based on respective traffic monitoring data for each of the one or more CA-prone devices, according to a queuing model;

determining, by the processing system, a respective buffer threshold time for each of the one or more CA-prone devices based on the respective data throughput estimate for each of the one or more CA-prone devices; and

selecting, by the processing system, the CA-prone device from among the one or more CA-prone devices based on the respective buffer threshold time for the CA-prone device.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the RAN cell comprises a cell of a next generation RAN (NG-RAN), and wherein the radio access network node comprises a next generation node B (gNB).